Oil Spill!

What are the best oils to cook with?

It’s common knowledge that olive oil is a high ranker. Much better than a stick of butter. But the thing about olive oil is it comes with a taste. You don’t want the olive oil taste in everything you make. I was faced with this dilemma while making pancakes last weekend. Pancakes and olive oil don’t mix, went the logic.

A Sardinian Recipe: Pane frattau

How to incorporate the lifestyle and healthy habits modeled by those centenarian Sardinian’s? Let’s take a look in their pantry and borrow a recipe. This recipe for Pane Frattau (a delicious and versatile flatbread dish) was originally printed in the book Foods of Sicily and Sardinia by Giuliano Bugialli. I found it at one of my favorite foodie websites, www.epicurious.com and made a few changes to the ingredient list to pack an extra dose of good-for-you ingredients.

Good For Your Good Times

Next time happy hour calls, remember this: with a growing number of people curious about organic wine and beer, most places stock pesticide free red white and bubblies!

Sardinian and Okinawan centenarians enjoy wine regularly and with the known antioxidant benefits, it’s hard to say no to a glass of pinot noir or whatever your drink of choice may be.

It really gets my goat (That's good!)

Nothing says pastoral more than shepherds on a hill with a flock of goats. And today, with all the different kinds of milk out there, you can get a sense of the pastoral diet by drinking some goat milk. Not only does it offer superior nutritional value when compared to cow milk, it also may have an added benefit for your longevity.

FEATURE: Power Your Body With Fruits and Vegetables!

What do Okinawans, Sardinians and Nicoyans have in common? These clusters of happy, healthy, triple digit folks eat their vegetables! The centenarian inhabitants of the Blue Zones all subsist, by and large, on plant based diets.

 

How To Make Pinto Beans?

 

This is a trick question because there are so many ways to prepare pinto beans, it’s hard to highlight just one. So I’ve decided to provide you with three delicious pinto bean recommendations. I found all three recipes on my favorite recipe database, Epicurious, www.epicurious.com.

 

In my opinion, Baja’s Best Pinto Beans, get better over time. Keep them in the fridge and enjoy day after day. For a yummy protein packed breakfast, heat them up and serve inside a warm tortilla with scrambled eggs.

Beans are a great way to eat like a centenarian. According to Blue Zones researchers, a plant based diet that incorporates beans is a smart step to take if you want to reduce your risk of heart disease, colon cancer and diabetes. Diets that are rich in fiber and other nutrients found in beans, may prevent certain diseases.

 

Pinto Bean Enfrijoladas, are a traditional breakfast dish but I say enjoy any time! Highlight the creamy sauce by sprinkling queso fresco, a mild and sharp cheese found in most grocery stores, on top!

 

I wouldn’t give it to you if it didn’t taste awesome! Drunken Beans, besides having a great name, taste delicious! What’s the point of eating right if you can’t enjoy the flavors? These three recipes taste great! Enjoy!

 

FEATURE: Eat Until You Are 80% Full and Live Like A Centenarian!

 

 

Why don’t diets work? Because they focus on a concept that is inherently negative. Don’t eat that, only eat this, cleanse, carbs=sugar, sugar=fat. The list goes on...

Diets evangelize food, and we become radical eaters more concerned with adherence to a diet plan than satiety or sanity.

Our research in the Blue Zones raises the question: "How should people eat in order to live long, healthy lives and maintain a healthy weight?" The answer is resounding: by eating until you are 80% full.

FEATURE: Folate Intake is Great for Babies and Grannies Alike!

We’ve known for some time now that folate intake is an important part of a healthy pregnancy, and new research suggest it is a healthy part of the aging process as well!

Research published on the website Science Daily explores the positive relationship between increased folate intake and lowering the risk of developing dementia.

What Are Your Favorite Colors ... To Eat?

A good way to increase your fruit and vegetable intake is to get all Crayola on your kitchen!

Instead of thinking, "I should eat more fruits and vegetables," focus on adding more color to every meal.

Every color provides a variety of nutritional perks.

Those bright red tomatoes are rich in powerful antioxidant lycopine while dark green leafy vegetables are rich in fiber and folic acid. Orange sweet potatoes are full of vitamin A and C and they are a good source of root proteins and antioxidants. Purple eggplants are a great way to protect cell membranes from free radical damage. They are rich in phytonutrients that support brain function. Beans like kidney, pinto and garbanzo are a great way to get a wide array of nutrients and to eat like a centenarian.

According to Blue Zones researchers, beans are an important part of the diets of the longest living cultures around the world.

Garbanzo beans, more commonly referred to as chickpeas are packed full of minerals, fiber and folate and they are a key ingredient in hummus. Here is a great recipe for garlic lovers hummus.

Serve hummus with warm whole wheat pita or thinly sliced carrot sticks. Enjoy!

A Valentine’s Day Recipe

I wrote white fish off for years as flavorless and hard to cook. Turns out I just didn’t know how to cook it! But I’ve come full circle. I love the stuff! Done right any white fish, especially stripped bass, walleye and tilapia is delicious!

This is a great Valentine's Day recipe: Striped Bass With Saffron Vegetables And Spiced Broccoli Rabe from Epicurious. According to those smart folks over at Epicurious, saffron might pack some added benefits: "The rare and expensive spice has been used throughout history in rituals of beauty and love..." Nice!

Why is this recipe so great for valentines day? It’s delicious, healthy, and easy to cook and eat. The easy-to-eat thing is key. Especially if this is a first date or first time you’re cooking for that special someone. Who wants to be wrestling with dinner, picking bits out of teeth or splattered with sauce while trying to carry on a conversation?

Pair stripped bass with a dry white wine. A sauvignon blanc and a chardonnay pair really nicely with bass.